Metal sign press



216 1942 E, VAN BUREN Er AL .2,284,073

METAL SIGN-fuss Filed May 13;, 1941 2 'sheets-smeet :1

B a e /7066 f" Jaa/623017 www ATTOR N EYS May 26, 1942. E. G. VAN BURENETAL 2,284,076

METAL SIGN ',PRESS Y Fiied May 13, 1941 n 2 sheets-sheet 2 ATTOR N EYSPatented May 276, 11942 i Eber G. Van Buren and Ross F'. Y.lackVanderbilt, Mich;l

,Application ,May 1s, 1941, .serialrnussazio 1on1-lm. Y(o1. 10i-1s) YThis invention l'relates to -metal sign presses andhas for anobjecttoprovidea small compact hand operated press vfor :making sheetmetal signs, such as streetsigns-which must be painted approximatelyonce a year,ithepress being .adapted to'emboss the letters of thestreetname so that the letters stand out from the surface of the sign and maybe peasilypainted. v

A further object is to provide a sign press of this character which isportable so that it may be used at the location where the sign is to bereplaced with a new sign.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this character which will beformed of a few strong, simple and durable parts, which will beinexpensive to manufacture, and which will not easily get out of order.y I

With the above and other objects in View, th invention consists ofcertain novel details of construction and combinations ofparts'hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modications may be resorted to within the l scope of theappended claim without departing from the spirit or sacriiicing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part Y of this specification:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a metal sign press constructed inaccordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on the line 2-2 ofFigure l. f

Figure 3 is a bottom plan View of the disk which supports the male dies.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the resilient arms which support thefemaledies.

Figure 5` is a detail cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 ofFigureS, showing one of the male dies. j

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 4,showing one of the female dies.

Figure 7 is a frontelevation of the metal sign press.

Referring now to the drawings' invwhich like characters of referencedesignate similar parts in the various views, I6 designates a circularplate forming av base. An annular shoulder I I is formed on the top kofthe base concentric with the axis of the base andV forms ananvil.

A post I2 is provided with a uniformly reduced lower portion I3 which isengaged in an axial portion I4 in the base. An arm I5 is provided at oneend with an eye I6 which receives the upperrend of the-post. A piny I1is engaged through fthe posti-and-tlfirouglrr the l*eye-to secure Ythe-arm tothe post. Y

kThe post is provided at its outer end with a push rod YI8 which issldablyrengaged in an .opening I9 formed in the fr ee end ofithe arm andv'below Hthearm iis equipped :witha presser .head 23. The upper end -gof,thevpush rod is equipped'witha button '2| which extends above the armI5, and a helical spring 2V is sleeved on the push rod and is housed inan opening 23 which opens through the top face of the arm. An operatinghandle lever 24 is equipped with a cam'head 25 which is received betweenhinge ears 26 formed integral with the top surface of the arm I5. Thecam fis centrally pivoted be'- tween the ears by a pivot pin 2l passedthrough the cam and through the ears. When' the handle lever is rockeddownward, the push rod is de- .pressed to lower the presser` head 20into 'operative engagement with the work, land when the handle lever isrocked upward to released posi?A tion, the spring 22 withdraws the pushrod and presser head upwardly to released position above the work.

VThevmale dies 28 kare arranged in an annular series on the top face ofa resilient metal disk 29. The disk is provided with an axial opening i3U to receive the reduced portion of the Ypost and rotatably mount thedisk on the post. The disk is supported at its center upon a frictionwasher 3|, which is sleeved on the reduced portion-of the postandfsupports the disk with its outer portion out of contact with theannular shoulder II forming the anvil of the in Figure 2.

Acomparauvely thick washer 31 isnxed td the disk and surrounds thereduced v'portion I3 of the post. The washer carries a plurality ofspring arms 33 .which extend radially outwardly therefrom. Female dies34 are secured to the undersidesof the arms.

By Virtue of the washer 32 being fixed to thev disk 29, the disk andspringV arms are adapted to be turnedas a-unit on'the post as kan axisof rotation to present complemental male and jfemale dies 28 fand34-beneath the presser head` 20 of the push rod, as best shown in Figure7.

The male dies 28 are secured to the disk by screws'35, as best shown inFigure 5. 'I 'he female dies are secured to the spring arms 33 by screws36, best shown in Figure 6. The spring arms 33 are secured to the thickwasher 32 by screws 31, best shown in Figure2.

The spring arms 33 function to yieldably hold base, as best shown 4outerportions of the spring the female dies out of engagement with the male Yy dies, as best shown in Figure 2.

In operation, thesheet metal sign is inserted between the spaced maleand female dies and held in fixed position,.in any'preferred manner.

Then the diskand spring arms are rotated as a y Y unit to disposedesired complemntal dies on opposite sides of the sign at theA locationwhere;l

a letterV is to be embossed.V The handle lever 24 is then loweredtorotate the cam 25 and push -Y down thepu'shrod. e During this movementof the push rod 'the Ypresser.head-.20'presses down .A the spring armwith the female die and the disk Q with-the male die until' the diskengages theanvil Il whereupon further movement of the ylever 24 forcesthermale die to'indent the'metal 'female dies secured to the undersidesof the out- 'er portions of the spring arms above the male "fdies of thedisk, the spring arms normally holding the female dies jout ofengagement with the male -diesg'the disk and spring arms and the washerbeing adapted to be turned as a unit,

. an arm xed to the top of the post and extendof the sign into thefemale die, resultingin an Y embossed letter which projects from thesurfacev f of the sign and is easlyepainted.` Y

From the above description it thought that the vconstruction andoperation of the invention Y will be fully understoodwithoutfurthergexplanation. Y Y A in What isvclaimed is:Y z A A metal signpress comprising, a base having an annularshoulder on its upper sideform@ ing `an anvil, a post secured to therbase at the center of` theannular anvil, a resilient disk ,ro-

ing parallel with the base and terminating beyond the spring arms, alever having an eccenj tric disk cam pivoted on the outer end of the 20Varm, and a springr retracted push rod slidably mounted in the arm andprojecting above and below the arm to be forced by said cam to deformthey spring arms and disk against the anvil 'for embossing a characteron a metal sheet which may be'interposed between the male and femaledies.VV y QEBER'G. VAN BUREN. ROSS F. JACKSON. y

